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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a8e143a --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62348 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62348) diff --git a/old/62348-h.zip b/old/62348-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ac416b9..0000000 --- a/old/62348-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/62348-h/62348-h.htm b/old/62348-h/62348-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 096ff6e..0000000 --- a/old/62348-h/62348-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1170 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=us-ascii" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of Assignment on Venus, by Carl Jacobi. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.caption {font-weight: bold;} - -/* Images */ -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -div.titlepage { - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div.titlepage p { - text-align: center; - text-indent: 0em; - font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; - margin-top: 3em; -} - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Assignment on Venus, by Carl Jacobi - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Assignment on Venus - -Author: Carl Jacobi - -Release Date: June 8, 2020 [EBook #62348] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ASSIGNMENT ON VENUS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/cover.jpg" width="347" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<h1>Assignment on Venus</h1> - -<h2>By CARL JACOBI</h2> - -<p>Simms had the toughest assignment of his<br /> -career. He must fight his way through<br /> -Venusian intrigue to deliver a sealed<br /> -cylinder—a cylinder that held his<br /> -dishonorable discharge from the service.</p> - -<p>[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from<br /> -Planet Stories Fall 1943.<br /> -Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that<br /> -the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]</p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>Simms rested his paddle across the thwart and let the clumsy <i>jagua</i> -drift. Ahead, where the indigo swamp growth thinned, an abuttment -of white metal projected from the water, its near end forming a -wafer-like conning tower.</p> - -<p>Half-way Jetty at last! Two grueling weeks through Venus' Blue Mold -Swamp were behind him. Even if he knew that this station marked the -half way point to his final disgrace and humiliation, he could at least -rest here, free from the incredible dangers of the marsh.</p> - -<p>He swung the dugout to a landing, wearily stretched cramped legs and -headed down the catwalk. Before him the door of the jetty opened and -three men appeared in the entrance.</p> - -<p>Earthmen!</p> - -<p>"Halleck! Gately! Sterns!" Simms cried. "What the devil are you doing -here?"</p> - -<p>The taller of the men held the door open wider. "Come in, Simms," he -said. "We've been expecting you."</p> - -<p>Inside the spherical room the air was warm and dry. Simms unhooked his -dehydration mask and surveyed the three quietly.</p> - -<p>They weren't a lovely trio. Halleck was tall and swarthy with dark -eyes and thin lips. He wore a stained rain-helmet and flexible swamp -boots. Gately undoubtedly had Martian blood in his veins. And Sterns, -a typical space-rat from the slums of Venus City, bore an old heat-gun -scar across his face.</p> - -<p>"I thought the Halleck Development Company was heading north," Simms -said. "That's what you told the Commandante at Post One."</p> - -<p>Halleck smiled. "We told your Commandante a lot of things that suited -our purpose."</p> - -<p>Simms stirred uneasily. "You also said you were geologists, looking for -sedimentary deposits."</p> - -<p>"Part of which is quite true." Halleck lit a cigarette deliberately, -then nodded to Gately who drew from his pocket a small bag. The man -jerked the draw string and permitted a dozen yellowish lumps to spill -out on the table.</p> - -<p>"<i>Deleon</i> Salts," Halleck said shortly.</p> - -<p>Ice touched Simms' spine. He had of course seen these ochre crystals -before, while on patrol duty in native Kamali villages. But in the -possession of Earth men....</p> - -<p>"<i>Deleon</i> Salts," Halleck said again, blowing a shaft of smoke -ceilingward. "The stuff that holds the secret of rejuvenation for the -Kamalis. We're going to get a lot of it, ship it back to Earth and sell -it for a high price."</p> - -<p>"But ... but good Lord, you can't do that...."</p> - -<p>"I know what you're going to say," interrupted Halleck, "that although -these salts enable the Kamalis to maintain eternal life, they mean -instant death to a person of Earth. Well, we've taken care of that. -We've worked out a process that makes them harmless for a year."</p> - -<p>"And after that...?" Simms persisted.</p> - -<p>Halleck shrugged. "After that we'll have made our pile. We're simply -selling a drug guaranteed to erase the ravages of time. It'll go like -wildfire."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Up on the wall a mercury clock pulsed rhythmically, and below the floor -level sounded the faint drone of the dehydrators. Motionless, Simms sat -there. Like wildfire, Halleck had said. And the words were only too -true. The quest for perpetual youth was eternal. Earth men still envied -the two hundred year old Martians, the three hundred year old Jovians. -Tell them that these <i>Deleon</i> Salts were both harmless and effective, -and the results would be cataclysmic.</p> - -<p>Every person on Earth would demand some of the crystals. And in a -year....</p> - -<p>"Where did you get these salts?" Simms asked.</p> - -<p>For answer Halleck reached forward and plucked something from the -Venusian Service man's belt before the latter could restrain him. -Capped and sealed at both ends, it was an official mold-proof message -cylinder.</p> - -<p>"Three weeks ago," Halleck said, tapping the cylinder with his finger, -"you left Post One with this tube bound for Venusian headquarters -at BeTaba. You were sent in person because any radio or visiscreen -communication would of course be intercepted by the Kamali Oligarchs.</p> - -<p>"The tube contains two messages. One asks for reinforcements at the -Post because of a recent epidemic of Mold Fever. The other demands your -resignation because of insubordination. Insubordination—refusing to -obey orders. Right, isn't it?"</p> - -<p>A knife of bitterness cut through Simms. Yes, it was right, every word -of it.</p> - -<p>He had come here to Venus direct from the Inner-Planet Military School -on Earth. At Venus City he had waited six months before receiving -his appointment to the Venusian Colonial Service. And then, without -preamble, he had been sent to the most remote garrison in the Blue -Swamp mold country—Post One.</p> - -<p>A week after his arrival the Commandante had ordered him to ferret out -a certain Kamali native who had rebelled against the Government, and -disable him with a paralysis gun. Somehow when Simms had come face -to face with the web-footed creature, his conscience had rebelled. -Shooting in self-defense was one thing, but crippling in cold blood -didn't seem human. He had let the Kamali go unharmed.</p> - -<p>And a week later that same Kamali had sneaked through the impentration -walls of the Post and murdered two Service men.</p> - -<p>"The point is," Halleck continued, "we know where you stand, and we -know we've got a good proposition ourselves. We've located a big -<i>Deleon</i> mine near Xenthar village. That's deep mold country. All we -have to do is start a little rebellion among the Kamali tribes, wait -until they go on an expedition of war, then slip in and work the mine."</p> - -<p>The man's eyes gleamed sardonically. But it was Gately who put the -final offer into words.</p> - -<p>"Now then, Simms," he said huskily, "you're getting a lousy deal from -the government anyway. If you deliver that message, you'll only lose -your commission. String along with us, and we'll treat you right. What -do you say?"</p> - -<p>Simms' face masked the battle that was waging in his soul.</p> - -<p>"I'll think it over," he said at length.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Three hours later Simms lay in one of the wall bunks, wide awake. -The jetty room was in semi-darkness, lit only by the soft glow that -filtered through the ports. From the bunks opposite came the regular -breathing of Halleck and Sterns. Gately sat by the table, smoking a -cigarette.</p> - -<p>The situation was quite clear to Simms now. He was a prisoner. The -slightest attempt on his part to escape would result in the space-rats -taking action. For it was to their interest that his message did -not get through. Post One had asked for reinforcements. Those -reinforcements coming back through the swamp would interfere with -their plans to get the rejuvenation salts.</p> - -<p>On the other hand Halleck had spoken the truth when he said that Simms -was heading straight into disaster. Delivery of that sealed message -cylinder would mean his immediate dismissal from the Venusian Colonial -Service.</p> - -<p>His hands dug into the blankets. Suppose he did throw in with these -three. Halleck would see that a tribal war of large proportion got -under way among the Kamalis at once. That would mean every garrison in -Blue Swamp would be in danger of complete annihilation. Post One with -its flimsy impentration walls and its men weakened by Mold Fever would -be wiped out.</p> - -<p>All because of a few crystals. For two generations those <i>Deleon</i> Salts -had been a mystery to Earthmen who colonized Venus. Chemists only knew -that the Kamalis used the drug to rejuvenate their bodies and prolong -life.</p> - -<p>Once in ages past the Kamalis had been a great race with a high -culture. Then through some great catastrophe their numbers had been -decimated and made sterile. Gradually they had migrated into Blue -Swamp, and it was here no doubt that they had developed their webbed -feet and their elongated ears. Yet while the <i>Deleon</i> Salts served to -rejuvenate their bodies, their minds had gradually atrophied. Only the -ruling Oligarchs knew the secret of using the drug without harm to -their mental powers.</p> - -<p>Abruptly Simms tensed. Across the room Gately's head nodded in sleep. -The Venusian Service man slid to his feet, stole noiselessly across -to the three ports and closed them. From his pocket he took a small -paralysis-fume pellet, lit it and tossed it under the table.</p> - -<p>Back in his own bunk, he pulled on his dehydration mask and waited -tensely. In sixty seconds a grey fog of vapor was swirling through the -room. In sixty seconds more Gately's body had become rigid, his right -arm suspended in space over the table.</p> - -<p>Simms made sure his message-tube was in its place in his belt holster. -Then he crossed unchallenged to the door. An instant later he was -outside, advancing along the catwalk.</p> - -<p>He leaped into his <i>jagua</i> and began to paddle madly, intent only on -putting distance between himself and the jetty.</p> - -<p>He had two alternatives: to continue on to GHQ at BeTaba, or to head -into forbidden mold country and warn Xenthar village. Either way his -own future was doomed. But without hesitation he chose the latter.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Mile after mile Simms fought his way along hidden channels, each of -which resembled its predecessor. At first he had no idea where Xenthar -village lay. Then, in his mind's eye, he saw again that relief-map of -the Blue Country which all Venusian Service men must commit to memory. -Xenthar lay to the east in an unexplored district.</p> - -<p>Huge blue priest trees bowed before him and sang their aeolian litanies -as he passed. Living serpent-kelp clutched at his dugout and tried to -prevent his passage. He moved by his watch. Overhead, at exact thirty -minute intervals, successive hordes of Poleidons—<i>Ithiosyoria</i>—roared -past in great blue clouds. As each migration came he ceased paddling -and sat motionless. The slightest movement would have sent those flying -lizard birds down to attack him.</p> - -<p>Even his dehydration mask failed to keep out the odor of mold. Mold -balls, two feet across, floated through the air like great puffs of -bluish cotton. Simms kept a wary eye trained to see that none fell on -the <i>jagua</i>. Had one done so, the sacrophytic spores would have taken -root and over-run the boat in a matter of seconds.</p> - -<p>On and on he went through the incessant rain. Once a huge waterskipper -came, leaped over the surface of the water, its huge center eye open, -its mouth a slavering slit of orange. He dug his paddle deep and pushed -into the blue rip grass until the monster had passed.</p> - -<p>And finally he saw it—a rectangular floating platform, constructed of -mud and thatch, anchored by a network of vine cables.</p> - -<p>He made a landing at a small wharf and began to stride along a matting -path. Twenty feet forward, and he came face to face with a Kamali. The -little man stopped short on his webbed feet, and his huge ears flapped -ludicrously. With a low cry he turned and ran.</p> - -<p>"I'm in for it now," Simms muttered. "That devil will warn the whole -village."</p> - -<p>His words were a prediction. Before he had gone fifty yards more -a squad of Kamali guardsmen advanced upon him. They wore skins of -<i>Chabla</i> cat and red headdresses formed of <i>patani</i>, the Venusian swamp -flower.</p> - -<p>But Simms, though new to the Service, had had experience with interior -villages before. Quietly he handed over his heat gun, let his wrists be -bound, permitted himself to be escorted down the walk.</p> - -<p>The village opened before him. Simms saw a double row of rectangular -huts formed of white <i>carponium</i>. In the center a round hut marked the -quarters of the Oligarch and before this structure a taller Kamali -stood, wearing a headdress formed of some brownish plastic.</p> - -<p>Simms bowed and held his message-tube in his bound hands before him in -the formality expected.</p> - -<p>"Lieutenant Simms," he said, "Sixth Venusian Colonials, bound Post One -to general headquarters at BeTaba. I bring you information, oh mighty -one, which it will pay you to hear."</p> - -<p>The Oligarch's eyes contracted. He motioned Simms to continue.</p> - -<p>"Three Earth men," the lieutenant said, "are headed for your village. -They...."</p> - -<p>His voice died off. Behind the Oligarch three familiar figures suddenly -appeared in the doorway. In the foreground stood Halleck, smoking a -cigarette, eyes filled with triumph. Behind him lounged Gately and -Sterns. The heat-gun scar on the latter's face seemed deeper and redder -than before.</p> - -<p>"I'm afraid you're too late, Simms," Halleck said. "I've already -explained to his highness that you've come to this village to steal his -<i>Deleon</i> Salts. I think you know what that means."</p> - -<p>Gately laughed harshly. "You were pretty smooth back at the Jetty," he -said. "But you forgot that the dehydrators would dispose of the fumes -from your paralysis-pellet in a few moments. You forgot also that we -travel by hydrocar."</p> - -<p>Simms' fists clenched. Suddenly an overpowering urge to smash Halleck's -sneering face blinded all his reason. Before the Kamali guards could -restrain him, he threw himself forward and planted a driving blow into -the space-rat's jaw with his two lashed fists.</p> - -<p>But that was as far as Simms got. The Oligarch spoke a quick command -then, and a rush of webbed feet sounded. Something heavy crashed down -on the lieutenant's skull. He felt himself falling—into a pit of -blackness.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Curiously, he was aware of no lapse of time when he opened his eyes. -He lay on the floor of the a low ceilinged room that was bare of -furnishings.</p> - -<p>Dizziness claimed him, and it was several minutes before he could -gather sufficient strength to stand erect. He headed first for the -door. It was locked, and the two circular windows were both grilled -with stout metal bars. For the second time in a few hours Simms was a -prisoner.</p> - -<p>He turned, surveyed the room with eyes of growing despair. An -antiquated paralysis gun hang from a peg on one wall. He tore it free -and flipped open the charge chamber. But as he had expected, it was -green with mold and quite useless.</p> - -<p>The circular windows opened out on the extreme end of the village. -Peering between the bars, Simms saw an endless line of Kamalis padding -in from the other side of a vine screen, depositing the contents of -baskets on a growing pile of black slag. A dozen Kamalis squatted -there, pounding pieces of the slag with little flat-nosed hammers.</p> - -<p>This then was the <i>Deleon</i> Salt industry, the secret of which was so -jealously guarded.</p> - -<p>Abruptly Simms found his gaze focused on a larger conical building he -had not noticed before. Even as he stared at its smooth windowless -sides, a sound emerged from it. A low drone at first, it rapidly -mounted the octaves until it became a high-pitched siren-like shriek. -The sound pulsed through the walls of the hut, bludgeoned against the -lieutenant's eardrums, seemed to eat into his very brain.</p> - -<p>Higher and higher it mounted, until presently it had gone beyond the -hearing range. But Simms got the impression it was still climbing into -the supersonic range.</p> - -<p>He saw then a native cross the square and head toward his hut, carrying -a dish of food. The lieutenant glanced at the old-fashioned lock on -the door, and a thought struck him. Feverishly he searched his pockets, -drew forth his watch. Made for use on all planets, the timepiece had a -magno-shielded case.</p> - -<p>Quickly Simms unscrewed the back cover. The door creaked open, and the -Kamali thrust the dish of food inside. But in the instant before the -door clicked into position again, Simms had slipped the watch cover -between the latch and the magnetic face plate.</p> - -<p>The intervening hours until the light outside gradually faded seemed -interminable. At length, however the square outside the hut was -blanketed in deep gloom. Simms boldly opened the door and emerged onto -the street.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Without a plan of any kind he headed instinctively toward the slag -pile and the tower from which that strange vibration had come. He had -reached the extreme end of the village when voices reached his ears. -Quickly Simms darted into the doorway of a near hut. The men were -Halleck and Gately!</p> - -<p>"Why take chances?" Gately was saying. "We've got all the time in -the world, and we might as well give those salts a longer vibration -exposure. That way the Earth people who take the stuff won't feel any -bad effects for maybe two years."</p> - -<p>Halleck swore in reply. "You fool," he said. "Don't you realize we're -working on counted time. The I.P. men are after me now on Mars and -Jupiter. We've got to work fast. Have you convinced the Oligarch?"</p> - -<p>Gately grunted. "Yes, the whole village sets out on an expedition of -war tomorrow night."</p> - -<p>"You told the Oligarch that neighboring tribes had been tampering with -his <i>Deleon</i> mine?" There was growing satisfaction in Halleck's voice.</p> - -<p>"Sure, I told him. Sterns told him, too, and the fool would be alive -now if he'd taken precautions...."</p> - -<p>The voices became inaudible then as the men passed on. Simms stood in -his tracks undecidedly. Then a glimmer of flare lightning in the sodden -sky illuminated that strange tower just ahead. Like a magnet it drew -him forward with its power.</p> - -<p>Crouching low, he reached its cylindrical sides. He was groping for the -entrance when his hands touched something soft and yielding. Chilled, -he waited for a second lightning flare.</p> - -<p>It came, and it revealed the body of the third space-rat, Sterns. The -man was dead. His eyes were bulging and streams of blood were issuing -from either ear.</p> - -<p>Bewildered, yet careful not to disturb the body, Simms completed his -circle of the tower and found the entrance. Inside he felt rather than -saw a spiral staircase leading upward. With the utmost caution he began -to climb.</p> - -<p>He was breathing hard when he reached the top. A door barred his way. -Simms pushed it open and stood staring on the threshold.</p> - -<p>A bluish <i>radite</i> lamp was suspended from the ceiling. Occupying a good -half of the chamber was a huge parabolic horn, its small end converging -on a platform upon which a circular disc slowly revolved. In the center -of the disc was a rounded heap of yellow crystals.</p> - -<p>The left wall was taken up by a switchboard, with a series of dials -staggered across a <i>corbite</i> panel. At the right wall, facing the open -end of the parabolic horn, was a large wire cage.</p> - -<p>Simms strode forward. The crystals on the revolving disc were <i>Deleon</i> -Salts. But what was the meaning of this other apparatus?</p> - -<p>He peered inside the cage and stared, incredulously. <i>Hudrites!</i> The -cage was filled with hundreds of the Venusian swamp insects.</p> - -<p>And then abruptly something clicked in his brain like a puzzle piece -fitting into a slot. This chamber housed the mechanism that made the -rejuvenation salts adaptable to the Kamalis. The secret was vibration, -a bombardment of supersonic waves, causing a basic mutation of the -crystals' molecular structure.</p> - -<p>The <i>Hudrites</i> were the Venus equivalent of the Earth cricket. But -where a cricket gave off vibrations of 8,000 a second, the frequency of -a <i>Hudrite</i> had never been measured. It was said to be more than two -million cycles.</p> - -<p>The vibrations from these insects were picked up by the parabolic horn -and a sensitive detector and stepped up by a cyclestat. When the sound -waves struck the crystals, they responded to it at their frequency and -by its vibrations gave rise to a varying voltage. The sound waves of -the <i>Hudrites</i> were thereby converted into electrical vibrations and -these electrical waves amplified with the aid of vacuum tubes.</p> - -<p>The two were then united, and this bombardment of supersonic and -electrical waves changed the structure of the <i>Deleon</i> crystals. No -doubt the Kamali Oligarchs had discovered through long experiment just -how long a vibration exposure was necessary to make the salts potent -and still not effect their mental powers. The process undoubtedly took -months of Venus time.</p> - -<p>But the space-rats, Halleck and Gately, had no intention of waiting -that long. They planned to expose the crystals for the shortest -possible time and then sell them to unsuspecting citizens of Earth.</p> - -<p>Another thought struck Simms. Sterns! What had killed him?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>He had the answer an instant later. Up on the wall a warning bell -sounded and a red light flashed off and on. From a microtone speaker -sounded that same deep-toned drone. Again it began to mount swiftly up -the octaves, rising steadily to a high-pitched shriek preparing the way -for the supersonic vibrations of the <i>Hudrites</i>. The lieutenant clapped -his hands to his ears, fell to the floor in writhing agony.</p> - -<p>Stabbing lancets of pain darted through his brain. He felt his eyes -protruding; his head seemed ready to explode. With a mighty effort he -managed to jerk on his dehydration mask, slide the protective ear-caps -into place. Even then the sensation was only partly relieved, and he -stood, heart pounding, waiting for the mad vibration to stop.</p> - -<p>When at length it came to an end, a glance at the <i>Deleon</i> Salts showed -him they had colored from a light yellow to a deep orange. Tiny facets -of irridescent flame now played over their surfaces.</p> - -<p>Whatever method of utilizing the supersonic field the Kamalis used, it -was a deadly one. As the body of Sterns proved, the action of those -piezo-electric crystals was fatal to the unprotected human organism.</p> - -<p>Simms moved to the control panel. He had the secret of the <i>Deleon</i> -Salts now. But what good would it do him. In a short time his escape -would be detected and....</p> - -<p>But even as his gaze sped over the dials, a thought struck him. One of -those dials must control the intervals of time between each supersonic -bombardment. Another must control the frequency of the vibrations.</p> - -<p>Boldly Simms seized a rheostat and shoved it over to its farthest -marking. He found the time dial and pushed that upward too, guessing at -the length of increase.</p> - -<p>Then he was descending swiftly the spiral staircase to the ground -level. He skirted the main street of the village and groped his way -through inky blackness to the swamp shore.</p> - -<p>In the gloom he made out his <i>jagua</i>. But he didn't stop here. He -ran blindly a hundred yards along the matting shore until a squat -beetle-like shape materialized out of the darkness. The space-rats' -hydrocar.</p> - -<p>In a half minute he had the mooring line unfastened. And then splitting -the darkness about him came a shaft of white light. Simultaneously -Halleck's voice yelled:</p> - -<p>"Get him before he gets into the car!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/illus.jpg" width="394" height="500" alt=""/> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p>There was a dull report like a melon striking, and something soft and -fuzzy whizzed past Simms' head to hit the water with a hollow plop. -A mold gun! In the relentless light of Halleck's search lamp, the -lieutenant saw the living fungus erupt into a hundred wriggling spores -that germinated in a matter of seconds.</p> - -<p>Simms leaped into the cabin and fumbled for the starter switch. Once -a dozen years before he had driven a hydrocar on a pleasure cruise a -short distance up the Martian Central Canal. Now his fingers touched -the stud, and the motor roared into life.</p> - -<p>But before he could press the trigger out into the swamp, he saw -Halleck leap through the water and hurl himself onto the car's hood. -The man broke the windscreen into a hundred glass fragments and thrust -a mold gun through the aperture straight into Simms' face.</p> - -<p>But before he could press the trigger something happened. Back in -Xenthar village a mighty wailing scream pierced the air. Like a -frightened banshee the sound raced into the upper register, leaped to a -grinding, ear-shattering shriek.</p> - -<p>Halleck dropped the mold gun and clapped his hands to his ears. On -shore the Kamalis uttered cries of pain and fell groveling as the sound -mounted into the supersonic range and the piezo-electric crystals began -their action.</p> - -<p>With a jerk Simms swung the wheel, throwing Halleck off balance and -plummeting him into the water. The hydrocar roared out into the swamp -like a runaway comet.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>All night Simms drove, weaving through aisles of man-high rip grass, -circling denser groves of blue priest trees and ardaleptic ferns.</p> - -<p>At dawn he drew up at a small island, built a fire and cooked some of -the food he found packed away in a rear compartment of the hydrocar. He -rested half an hour, reentered the car and drove on at a more leisurely -speed.</p> - -<p>There remained now only to go to GHQ at BeTaba, give his report and -hand over his message-cylinder. And when the tube was opened, he would -be through on Venus. Dismissed from the Service for insubordination. -Wherever he went, that report would follow him.</p> - -<p>His lips compressed. There was a girl waiting for him back on -Earth—waiting until he had completed his hitch in the Service and -could graduate to the spaceways.</p> - -<p>Abruptly his hand, reaching to his belt, stopped, and an electric shock -ran through him.</p> - -<p>His message cylinder was gone! He must have lost it when he rested at -the little island.</p> - -<p>For a moment he sat motionless, a cold numbness sweeping over him. He -must have that cylinder when he reported at BeTaba. That part of the -message pertaining to reenforcements for the garrison would be given -orally, of course. But the section regarding himself was different. If -he failed to deliver that letter, sooner or later he would be accused -of throwing it away. It would mean another case of—insubordination.</p> - -<p>Suddenly he threw over the wheel and sent the hydrocar racing back in -the direction from which it had just come.</p> - -<p>The Great Swamp faded out of his vision now. He drove with his -thoughts. And then as familiar landmarks began to rise up before him, -he realized what he was doing.</p> - -<p>It was selfishness that had driven him along the back trail. He was -returning for a kind of personal satisfaction. Deliberately taking -chances when the stakes were higher than himself or his own feelings.</p> - -<p>But the island lay just ahead. It would be mad to turn back now that he -had come this far. He ran the hydrocar into a little inlet, switched -off the motor and climbed out.</p> - -<p>The coals of his campfire were still glowing. Carefully he began to -search the trampled grass. A fern writhed in the sodden wind, and a -glint of metal caught his eye. The official tube lay where it had -fallen, close to the shore.</p> - -<p>But as Simms strode forward, a footstep sounded behind him. He -stiffened and turned. An Earth man stood there on the little beach, -hands resting triumphantly on hips, watching him.</p> - -<p>"Halleck!"</p> - -<p>In the swamp back of the space-rat lay a long <i>akimla</i> canoe, filled -with Kamali tribesmen, drawn by three waterskippers, their ugly -beetle-like bodies lashed with an intricate network of harness.</p> - -<p>There was a mold gun in Halleck's hands, and he had it leveled before -him.</p> - -<p>Out of the corner of his eye the lieutenant was searching desperately -for a way of escape. Above him his upraised hands touched the spreading -branch of a priest tree, and he saw that its farther extremity hung -within a foot of Halleck's gun hand.</p> - -<p>Simms seized the branch and gave it a powerful downward jerk. And in -the instant that the space-rat's weapon was pushed out of aim, he threw -himself forward in a flying tackle.</p> - -<p>He fought desperately, aware that he had seconds in which to act and no -more. A heavy kick in the groin sent a wave of nausea surging through -him. Then his hands closed about the mold gun. He tore it free and -pounded a hard blow into the space-rat's jaw. Twice he stuck. Then as -Halleck slumped backward, he stumbled erect and trained the weapon on -the advancing Kamalis, finger tight on trigger.</p> - -<p>"Back!" he snapped. "One move, and I fire. Get into that jitterbug -chariot of yours and get going!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Two days later a mud-stained, mold-encrusted hydrocar swung up to the -jetty at BeTaba, Venusian Colonial Headquarters on the outer edge of -Blue Swamp. Two haggard Earthmen climbed out, one still gripping a -Kamali mold gun, the other, his hands bound behind him.</p> - -<p>They paced down the catwalk, entered the lock, and a moment later stood -before the Post Major. Simms saluted and began a graphic description of -all that had occurred.</p> - -<p>"Post One needs help sir," he concluded. "There were twelve cases of -Mold Fever when I left, and the impentration walls are badly in need of -repair. The Kamalis are on the verge of an intertribal war."</p> - -<p>The Major looked the prisoner over and nodded. All the defiance was -gone from Halleck now. He stood there, lips twisted in a sullen snarl, -eyes mirroring defeat.</p> - -<p>"The I.P. men have been after this rat for a long time," the Major -said. "And now, Lieutenant, I'll have your official report."</p> - -<p>Silently Simms handed the message cylinder across the desk.</p> - -<p>The Major opened the cylinder and glanced at the scroll inside. A -moment passed in silence as he read the message.</p> - -<p>"Lieutenant," he said at length, looking up, "how long have you been at -Post One?"</p> - -<p>"Six weeks, sir."</p> - -<p>The Major opened a humidor and took out a Martian cheroot. "It so -happens your Commandante is a very shrewd person. Lieutenant, take a -look at this letter."</p> - -<p>Slowly Simms picked up the scroll and read:</p> - -<p>... <i>and am sending this letter by Lieutenant Simms, a newcomer to Post -One. The boy had the usual case of nerves brought about by the damnable -solitude, the rain and the constant dangers here at the post, and I'm -taking the usual method of curing it. Let him rest over at BeTaba for a -month. Then send him back. He has the makings</i> ...</p> - -<p>And across the desk the Major puffed his Martian cheroot and smiled.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Assignment on Venus, by Carl Jacobi - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ASSIGNMENT ON VENUS *** - -***** This file should be named 62348-h.htm or 62348-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/3/4/62348/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Assignment on Venus - -Author: Carl Jacobi - -Release Date: June 8, 2020 [EBook #62348] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ASSIGNMENT ON VENUS *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - Assignment on Venus - - By CARL JACOBI - - Simms had the toughest assignment of his - career. He must fight his way through - Venusian intrigue to deliver a sealed - cylinder--a cylinder that held his - dishonorable discharge from the service. - - [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from - Planet Stories Fall 1943. - Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that - the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] - - -Simms rested his paddle across the thwart and let the clumsy _jagua_ -drift. Ahead, where the indigo swamp growth thinned, an abuttment -of white metal projected from the water, its near end forming a -wafer-like conning tower. - -Half-way Jetty at last! Two grueling weeks through Venus' Blue Mold -Swamp were behind him. Even if he knew that this station marked the -half way point to his final disgrace and humiliation, he could at least -rest here, free from the incredible dangers of the marsh. - -He swung the dugout to a landing, wearily stretched cramped legs and -headed down the catwalk. Before him the door of the jetty opened and -three men appeared in the entrance. - -Earthmen! - -"Halleck! Gately! Sterns!" Simms cried. "What the devil are you doing -here?" - -The taller of the men held the door open wider. "Come in, Simms," he -said. "We've been expecting you." - -Inside the spherical room the air was warm and dry. Simms unhooked his -dehydration mask and surveyed the three quietly. - -They weren't a lovely trio. Halleck was tall and swarthy with dark -eyes and thin lips. He wore a stained rain-helmet and flexible swamp -boots. Gately undoubtedly had Martian blood in his veins. And Sterns, -a typical space-rat from the slums of Venus City, bore an old heat-gun -scar across his face. - -"I thought the Halleck Development Company was heading north," Simms -said. "That's what you told the Commandante at Post One." - -Halleck smiled. "We told your Commandante a lot of things that suited -our purpose." - -Simms stirred uneasily. "You also said you were geologists, looking for -sedimentary deposits." - -"Part of which is quite true." Halleck lit a cigarette deliberately, -then nodded to Gately who drew from his pocket a small bag. The man -jerked the draw string and permitted a dozen yellowish lumps to spill -out on the table. - -"_Deleon_ Salts," Halleck said shortly. - -Ice touched Simms' spine. He had of course seen these ochre crystals -before, while on patrol duty in native Kamali villages. But in the -possession of Earth men.... - -"_Deleon_ Salts," Halleck said again, blowing a shaft of smoke -ceilingward. "The stuff that holds the secret of rejuvenation for the -Kamalis. We're going to get a lot of it, ship it back to Earth and sell -it for a high price." - -"But ... but good Lord, you can't do that...." - -"I know what you're going to say," interrupted Halleck, "that although -these salts enable the Kamalis to maintain eternal life, they mean -instant death to a person of Earth. Well, we've taken care of that. -We've worked out a process that makes them harmless for a year." - -"And after that...?" Simms persisted. - -Halleck shrugged. "After that we'll have made our pile. We're simply -selling a drug guaranteed to erase the ravages of time. It'll go like -wildfire." - - * * * * * - -Up on the wall a mercury clock pulsed rhythmically, and below the floor -level sounded the faint drone of the dehydrators. Motionless, Simms sat -there. Like wildfire, Halleck had said. And the words were only too -true. The quest for perpetual youth was eternal. Earth men still envied -the two hundred year old Martians, the three hundred year old Jovians. -Tell them that these _Deleon_ Salts were both harmless and effective, -and the results would be cataclysmic. - -Every person on Earth would demand some of the crystals. And in a -year.... - -"Where did you get these salts?" Simms asked. - -For answer Halleck reached forward and plucked something from the -Venusian Service man's belt before the latter could restrain him. -Capped and sealed at both ends, it was an official mold-proof message -cylinder. - -"Three weeks ago," Halleck said, tapping the cylinder with his finger, -"you left Post One with this tube bound for Venusian headquarters -at BeTaba. You were sent in person because any radio or visiscreen -communication would of course be intercepted by the Kamali Oligarchs. - -"The tube contains two messages. One asks for reinforcements at the -Post because of a recent epidemic of Mold Fever. The other demands your -resignation because of insubordination. Insubordination--refusing to -obey orders. Right, isn't it?" - -A knife of bitterness cut through Simms. Yes, it was right, every word -of it. - -He had come here to Venus direct from the Inner-Planet Military School -on Earth. At Venus City he had waited six months before receiving -his appointment to the Venusian Colonial Service. And then, without -preamble, he had been sent to the most remote garrison in the Blue -Swamp mold country--Post One. - -A week after his arrival the Commandante had ordered him to ferret out -a certain Kamali native who had rebelled against the Government, and -disable him with a paralysis gun. Somehow when Simms had come face -to face with the web-footed creature, his conscience had rebelled. -Shooting in self-defense was one thing, but crippling in cold blood -didn't seem human. He had let the Kamali go unharmed. - -And a week later that same Kamali had sneaked through the impentration -walls of the Post and murdered two Service men. - -"The point is," Halleck continued, "we know where you stand, and we -know we've got a good proposition ourselves. We've located a big -_Deleon_ mine near Xenthar village. That's deep mold country. All we -have to do is start a little rebellion among the Kamali tribes, wait -until they go on an expedition of war, then slip in and work the mine." - -The man's eyes gleamed sardonically. But it was Gately who put the -final offer into words. - -"Now then, Simms," he said huskily, "you're getting a lousy deal from -the government anyway. If you deliver that message, you'll only lose -your commission. String along with us, and we'll treat you right. What -do you say?" - -Simms' face masked the battle that was waging in his soul. - -"I'll think it over," he said at length. - - * * * * * - -Three hours later Simms lay in one of the wall bunks, wide awake. -The jetty room was in semi-darkness, lit only by the soft glow that -filtered through the ports. From the bunks opposite came the regular -breathing of Halleck and Sterns. Gately sat by the table, smoking a -cigarette. - -The situation was quite clear to Simms now. He was a prisoner. The -slightest attempt on his part to escape would result in the space-rats -taking action. For it was to their interest that his message did -not get through. Post One had asked for reinforcements. Those -reinforcements coming back through the swamp would interfere with -their plans to get the rejuvenation salts. - -On the other hand Halleck had spoken the truth when he said that Simms -was heading straight into disaster. Delivery of that sealed message -cylinder would mean his immediate dismissal from the Venusian Colonial -Service. - -His hands dug into the blankets. Suppose he did throw in with these -three. Halleck would see that a tribal war of large proportion got -under way among the Kamalis at once. That would mean every garrison in -Blue Swamp would be in danger of complete annihilation. Post One with -its flimsy impentration walls and its men weakened by Mold Fever would -be wiped out. - -All because of a few crystals. For two generations those _Deleon_ Salts -had been a mystery to Earthmen who colonized Venus. Chemists only knew -that the Kamalis used the drug to rejuvenate their bodies and prolong -life. - -Once in ages past the Kamalis had been a great race with a high -culture. Then through some great catastrophe their numbers had been -decimated and made sterile. Gradually they had migrated into Blue -Swamp, and it was here no doubt that they had developed their webbed -feet and their elongated ears. Yet while the _Deleon_ Salts served to -rejuvenate their bodies, their minds had gradually atrophied. Only the -ruling Oligarchs knew the secret of using the drug without harm to -their mental powers. - -Abruptly Simms tensed. Across the room Gately's head nodded in sleep. -The Venusian Service man slid to his feet, stole noiselessly across -to the three ports and closed them. From his pocket he took a small -paralysis-fume pellet, lit it and tossed it under the table. - -Back in his own bunk, he pulled on his dehydration mask and waited -tensely. In sixty seconds a grey fog of vapor was swirling through the -room. In sixty seconds more Gately's body had become rigid, his right -arm suspended in space over the table. - -Simms made sure his message-tube was in its place in his belt holster. -Then he crossed unchallenged to the door. An instant later he was -outside, advancing along the catwalk. - -He leaped into his _jagua_ and began to paddle madly, intent only on -putting distance between himself and the jetty. - -He had two alternatives: to continue on to GHQ at BeTaba, or to head -into forbidden mold country and warn Xenthar village. Either way his -own future was doomed. But without hesitation he chose the latter. - - * * * * * - -Mile after mile Simms fought his way along hidden channels, each of -which resembled its predecessor. At first he had no idea where Xenthar -village lay. Then, in his mind's eye, he saw again that relief-map of -the Blue Country which all Venusian Service men must commit to memory. -Xenthar lay to the east in an unexplored district. - -Huge blue priest trees bowed before him and sang their aeolian litanies -as he passed. Living serpent-kelp clutched at his dugout and tried to -prevent his passage. He moved by his watch. Overhead, at exact thirty -minute intervals, successive hordes of Poleidons--_Ithiosyoria_--roared -past in great blue clouds. As each migration came he ceased paddling -and sat motionless. The slightest movement would have sent those flying -lizard birds down to attack him. - -Even his dehydration mask failed to keep out the odor of mold. Mold -balls, two feet across, floated through the air like great puffs of -bluish cotton. Simms kept a wary eye trained to see that none fell on -the _jagua_. Had one done so, the sacrophytic spores would have taken -root and over-run the boat in a matter of seconds. - -On and on he went through the incessant rain. Once a huge waterskipper -came, leaped over the surface of the water, its huge center eye open, -its mouth a slavering slit of orange. He dug his paddle deep and pushed -into the blue rip grass until the monster had passed. - -And finally he saw it--a rectangular floating platform, constructed of -mud and thatch, anchored by a network of vine cables. - -He made a landing at a small wharf and began to stride along a matting -path. Twenty feet forward, and he came face to face with a Kamali. The -little man stopped short on his webbed feet, and his huge ears flapped -ludicrously. With a low cry he turned and ran. - -"I'm in for it now," Simms muttered. "That devil will warn the whole -village." - -His words were a prediction. Before he had gone fifty yards more -a squad of Kamali guardsmen advanced upon him. They wore skins of -_Chabla_ cat and red headdresses formed of _patani_, the Venusian swamp -flower. - -But Simms, though new to the Service, had had experience with interior -villages before. Quietly he handed over his heat gun, let his wrists be -bound, permitted himself to be escorted down the walk. - -The village opened before him. Simms saw a double row of rectangular -huts formed of white _carponium_. In the center a round hut marked the -quarters of the Oligarch and before this structure a taller Kamali -stood, wearing a headdress formed of some brownish plastic. - -Simms bowed and held his message-tube in his bound hands before him in -the formality expected. - -"Lieutenant Simms," he said, "Sixth Venusian Colonials, bound Post One -to general headquarters at BeTaba. I bring you information, oh mighty -one, which it will pay you to hear." - -The Oligarch's eyes contracted. He motioned Simms to continue. - -"Three Earth men," the lieutenant said, "are headed for your village. -They...." - -His voice died off. Behind the Oligarch three familiar figures suddenly -appeared in the doorway. In the foreground stood Halleck, smoking a -cigarette, eyes filled with triumph. Behind him lounged Gately and -Sterns. The heat-gun scar on the latter's face seemed deeper and redder -than before. - -"I'm afraid you're too late, Simms," Halleck said. "I've already -explained to his highness that you've come to this village to steal his -_Deleon_ Salts. I think you know what that means." - -Gately laughed harshly. "You were pretty smooth back at the Jetty," he -said. "But you forgot that the dehydrators would dispose of the fumes -from your paralysis-pellet in a few moments. You forgot also that we -travel by hydrocar." - -Simms' fists clenched. Suddenly an overpowering urge to smash Halleck's -sneering face blinded all his reason. Before the Kamali guards could -restrain him, he threw himself forward and planted a driving blow into -the space-rat's jaw with his two lashed fists. - -But that was as far as Simms got. The Oligarch spoke a quick command -then, and a rush of webbed feet sounded. Something heavy crashed down -on the lieutenant's skull. He felt himself falling--into a pit of -blackness. - - * * * * * - -Curiously, he was aware of no lapse of time when he opened his eyes. -He lay on the floor of the a low ceilinged room that was bare of -furnishings. - -Dizziness claimed him, and it was several minutes before he could -gather sufficient strength to stand erect. He headed first for the -door. It was locked, and the two circular windows were both grilled -with stout metal bars. For the second time in a few hours Simms was a -prisoner. - -He turned, surveyed the room with eyes of growing despair. An -antiquated paralysis gun hang from a peg on one wall. He tore it free -and flipped open the charge chamber. But as he had expected, it was -green with mold and quite useless. - -The circular windows opened out on the extreme end of the village. -Peering between the bars, Simms saw an endless line of Kamalis padding -in from the other side of a vine screen, depositing the contents of -baskets on a growing pile of black slag. A dozen Kamalis squatted -there, pounding pieces of the slag with little flat-nosed hammers. - -This then was the _Deleon_ Salt industry, the secret of which was so -jealously guarded. - -Abruptly Simms found his gaze focused on a larger conical building he -had not noticed before. Even as he stared at its smooth windowless -sides, a sound emerged from it. A low drone at first, it rapidly -mounted the octaves until it became a high-pitched siren-like shriek. -The sound pulsed through the walls of the hut, bludgeoned against the -lieutenant's eardrums, seemed to eat into his very brain. - -Higher and higher it mounted, until presently it had gone beyond the -hearing range. But Simms got the impression it was still climbing into -the supersonic range. - -He saw then a native cross the square and head toward his hut, carrying -a dish of food. The lieutenant glanced at the old-fashioned lock on -the door, and a thought struck him. Feverishly he searched his pockets, -drew forth his watch. Made for use on all planets, the timepiece had a -magno-shielded case. - -Quickly Simms unscrewed the back cover. The door creaked open, and the -Kamali thrust the dish of food inside. But in the instant before the -door clicked into position again, Simms had slipped the watch cover -between the latch and the magnetic face plate. - -The intervening hours until the light outside gradually faded seemed -interminable. At length, however the square outside the hut was -blanketed in deep gloom. Simms boldly opened the door and emerged onto -the street. - - * * * * * - -Without a plan of any kind he headed instinctively toward the slag -pile and the tower from which that strange vibration had come. He had -reached the extreme end of the village when voices reached his ears. -Quickly Simms darted into the doorway of a near hut. The men were -Halleck and Gately! - -"Why take chances?" Gately was saying. "We've got all the time in -the world, and we might as well give those salts a longer vibration -exposure. That way the Earth people who take the stuff won't feel any -bad effects for maybe two years." - -Halleck swore in reply. "You fool," he said. "Don't you realize we're -working on counted time. The I.P. men are after me now on Mars and -Jupiter. We've got to work fast. Have you convinced the Oligarch?" - -Gately grunted. "Yes, the whole village sets out on an expedition of -war tomorrow night." - -"You told the Oligarch that neighboring tribes had been tampering with -his _Deleon_ mine?" There was growing satisfaction in Halleck's voice. - -"Sure, I told him. Sterns told him, too, and the fool would be alive -now if he'd taken precautions...." - -The voices became inaudible then as the men passed on. Simms stood in -his tracks undecidedly. Then a glimmer of flare lightning in the sodden -sky illuminated that strange tower just ahead. Like a magnet it drew -him forward with its power. - -Crouching low, he reached its cylindrical sides. He was groping for the -entrance when his hands touched something soft and yielding. Chilled, -he waited for a second lightning flare. - -It came, and it revealed the body of the third space-rat, Sterns. The -man was dead. His eyes were bulging and streams of blood were issuing -from either ear. - -Bewildered, yet careful not to disturb the body, Simms completed his -circle of the tower and found the entrance. Inside he felt rather than -saw a spiral staircase leading upward. With the utmost caution he began -to climb. - -He was breathing hard when he reached the top. A door barred his way. -Simms pushed it open and stood staring on the threshold. - -A bluish _radite_ lamp was suspended from the ceiling. Occupying a good -half of the chamber was a huge parabolic horn, its small end converging -on a platform upon which a circular disc slowly revolved. In the center -of the disc was a rounded heap of yellow crystals. - -The left wall was taken up by a switchboard, with a series of dials -staggered across a _corbite_ panel. At the right wall, facing the open -end of the parabolic horn, was a large wire cage. - -Simms strode forward. The crystals on the revolving disc were _Deleon_ -Salts. But what was the meaning of this other apparatus? - -He peered inside the cage and stared, incredulously. _Hudrites!_ The -cage was filled with hundreds of the Venusian swamp insects. - -And then abruptly something clicked in his brain like a puzzle piece -fitting into a slot. This chamber housed the mechanism that made the -rejuvenation salts adaptable to the Kamalis. The secret was vibration, -a bombardment of supersonic waves, causing a basic mutation of the -crystals' molecular structure. - -The _Hudrites_ were the Venus equivalent of the Earth cricket. But -where a cricket gave off vibrations of 8,000 a second, the frequency of -a _Hudrite_ had never been measured. It was said to be more than two -million cycles. - -The vibrations from these insects were picked up by the parabolic horn -and a sensitive detector and stepped up by a cyclestat. When the sound -waves struck the crystals, they responded to it at their frequency and -by its vibrations gave rise to a varying voltage. The sound waves of -the _Hudrites_ were thereby converted into electrical vibrations and -these electrical waves amplified with the aid of vacuum tubes. - -The two were then united, and this bombardment of supersonic and -electrical waves changed the structure of the _Deleon_ crystals. No -doubt the Kamali Oligarchs had discovered through long experiment just -how long a vibration exposure was necessary to make the salts potent -and still not effect their mental powers. The process undoubtedly took -months of Venus time. - -But the space-rats, Halleck and Gately, had no intention of waiting -that long. They planned to expose the crystals for the shortest -possible time and then sell them to unsuspecting citizens of Earth. - -Another thought struck Simms. Sterns! What had killed him? - - * * * * * - -He had the answer an instant later. Up on the wall a warning bell -sounded and a red light flashed off and on. From a microtone speaker -sounded that same deep-toned drone. Again it began to mount swiftly up -the octaves, rising steadily to a high-pitched shriek preparing the way -for the supersonic vibrations of the _Hudrites_. The lieutenant clapped -his hands to his ears, fell to the floor in writhing agony. - -Stabbing lancets of pain darted through his brain. He felt his eyes -protruding; his head seemed ready to explode. With a mighty effort he -managed to jerk on his dehydration mask, slide the protective ear-caps -into place. Even then the sensation was only partly relieved, and he -stood, heart pounding, waiting for the mad vibration to stop. - -When at length it came to an end, a glance at the _Deleon_ Salts showed -him they had colored from a light yellow to a deep orange. Tiny facets -of irridescent flame now played over their surfaces. - -Whatever method of utilizing the supersonic field the Kamalis used, it -was a deadly one. As the body of Sterns proved, the action of those -piezo-electric crystals was fatal to the unprotected human organism. - -Simms moved to the control panel. He had the secret of the _Deleon_ -Salts now. But what good would it do him. In a short time his escape -would be detected and.... - -But even as his gaze sped over the dials, a thought struck him. One of -those dials must control the intervals of time between each supersonic -bombardment. Another must control the frequency of the vibrations. - -Boldly Simms seized a rheostat and shoved it over to its farthest -marking. He found the time dial and pushed that upward too, guessing at -the length of increase. - -Then he was descending swiftly the spiral staircase to the ground -level. He skirted the main street of the village and groped his way -through inky blackness to the swamp shore. - -In the gloom he made out his _jagua_. But he didn't stop here. He -ran blindly a hundred yards along the matting shore until a squat -beetle-like shape materialized out of the darkness. The space-rats' -hydrocar. - -In a half minute he had the mooring line unfastened. And then splitting -the darkness about him came a shaft of white light. Simultaneously -Halleck's voice yelled: - -"Get him before he gets into the car!" - -There was a dull report like a melon striking, and something soft and -fuzzy whizzed past Simms' head to hit the water with a hollow plop. -A mold gun! In the relentless light of Halleck's search lamp, the -lieutenant saw the living fungus erupt into a hundred wriggling spores -that germinated in a matter of seconds. - -Simms leaped into the cabin and fumbled for the starter switch. Once -a dozen years before he had driven a hydrocar on a pleasure cruise a -short distance up the Martian Central Canal. Now his fingers touched -the stud, and the motor roared into life. - -But before he could press the trigger out into the swamp, he saw -Halleck leap through the water and hurl himself onto the car's hood. -The man broke the windscreen into a hundred glass fragments and thrust -a mold gun through the aperture straight into Simms' face. - -But before he could press the trigger something happened. Back in -Xenthar village a mighty wailing scream pierced the air. Like a -frightened banshee the sound raced into the upper register, leaped to a -grinding, ear-shattering shriek. - -Halleck dropped the mold gun and clapped his hands to his ears. On -shore the Kamalis uttered cries of pain and fell groveling as the sound -mounted into the supersonic range and the piezo-electric crystals began -their action. - -With a jerk Simms swung the wheel, throwing Halleck off balance and -plummeting him into the water. The hydrocar roared out into the swamp -like a runaway comet. - - * * * * * - -All night Simms drove, weaving through aisles of man-high rip grass, -circling denser groves of blue priest trees and ardaleptic ferns. - -At dawn he drew up at a small island, built a fire and cooked some of -the food he found packed away in a rear compartment of the hydrocar. He -rested half an hour, reentered the car and drove on at a more leisurely -speed. - -There remained now only to go to GHQ at BeTaba, give his report and -hand over his message-cylinder. And when the tube was opened, he would -be through on Venus. Dismissed from the Service for insubordination. -Wherever he went, that report would follow him. - -His lips compressed. There was a girl waiting for him back on -Earth--waiting until he had completed his hitch in the Service and -could graduate to the spaceways. - -Abruptly his hand, reaching to his belt, stopped, and an electric shock -ran through him. - -His message cylinder was gone! He must have lost it when he rested at -the little island. - -For a moment he sat motionless, a cold numbness sweeping over him. He -must have that cylinder when he reported at BeTaba. That part of the -message pertaining to reenforcements for the garrison would be given -orally, of course. But the section regarding himself was different. If -he failed to deliver that letter, sooner or later he would be accused -of throwing it away. It would mean another case of--insubordination. - -Suddenly he threw over the wheel and sent the hydrocar racing back in -the direction from which it had just come. - -The Great Swamp faded out of his vision now. He drove with his -thoughts. And then as familiar landmarks began to rise up before him, -he realized what he was doing. - -It was selfishness that had driven him along the back trail. He was -returning for a kind of personal satisfaction. Deliberately taking -chances when the stakes were higher than himself or his own feelings. - -But the island lay just ahead. It would be mad to turn back now that he -had come this far. He ran the hydrocar into a little inlet, switched -off the motor and climbed out. - -The coals of his campfire were still glowing. Carefully he began to -search the trampled grass. A fern writhed in the sodden wind, and a -glint of metal caught his eye. The official tube lay where it had -fallen, close to the shore. - -But as Simms strode forward, a footstep sounded behind him. He -stiffened and turned. An Earth man stood there on the little beach, -hands resting triumphantly on hips, watching him. - -"Halleck!" - -In the swamp back of the space-rat lay a long _akimla_ canoe, filled -with Kamali tribesmen, drawn by three waterskippers, their ugly -beetle-like bodies lashed with an intricate network of harness. - -There was a mold gun in Halleck's hands, and he had it leveled before -him. - -Out of the corner of his eye the lieutenant was searching desperately -for a way of escape. Above him his upraised hands touched the spreading -branch of a priest tree, and he saw that its farther extremity hung -within a foot of Halleck's gun hand. - -Simms seized the branch and gave it a powerful downward jerk. And in -the instant that the space-rat's weapon was pushed out of aim, he threw -himself forward in a flying tackle. - -He fought desperately, aware that he had seconds in which to act and no -more. A heavy kick in the groin sent a wave of nausea surging through -him. Then his hands closed about the mold gun. He tore it free and -pounded a hard blow into the space-rat's jaw. Twice he stuck. Then as -Halleck slumped backward, he stumbled erect and trained the weapon on -the advancing Kamalis, finger tight on trigger. - -"Back!" he snapped. "One move, and I fire. Get into that jitterbug -chariot of yours and get going!" - - * * * * * - -Two days later a mud-stained, mold-encrusted hydrocar swung up to the -jetty at BeTaba, Venusian Colonial Headquarters on the outer edge of -Blue Swamp. Two haggard Earthmen climbed out, one still gripping a -Kamali mold gun, the other, his hands bound behind him. - -They paced down the catwalk, entered the lock, and a moment later stood -before the Post Major. Simms saluted and began a graphic description of -all that had occurred. - -"Post One needs help sir," he concluded. "There were twelve cases of -Mold Fever when I left, and the impentration walls are badly in need of -repair. The Kamalis are on the verge of an intertribal war." - -The Major looked the prisoner over and nodded. All the defiance was -gone from Halleck now. He stood there, lips twisted in a sullen snarl, -eyes mirroring defeat. - -"The I.P. men have been after this rat for a long time," the Major -said. "And now, Lieutenant, I'll have your official report." - -Silently Simms handed the message cylinder across the desk. - -The Major opened the cylinder and glanced at the scroll inside. A -moment passed in silence as he read the message. - -"Lieutenant," he said at length, looking up, "how long have you been at -Post One?" - -"Six weeks, sir." - -The Major opened a humidor and took out a Martian cheroot. "It so -happens your Commandante is a very shrewd person. Lieutenant, take a -look at this letter." - -Slowly Simms picked up the scroll and read: - -... _and am sending this letter by Lieutenant Simms, a newcomer to Post -One. The boy had the usual case of nerves brought about by the damnable -solitude, the rain and the constant dangers here at the post, and I'm -taking the usual method of curing it. Let him rest over at BeTaba for a -month. Then send him back. He has the makings_ ... - -And across the desk the Major puffed his Martian cheroot and smiled. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Assignment on Venus, by Carl Jacobi - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ASSIGNMENT ON VENUS *** - -***** This file should be named 62348.txt or 62348.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/3/4/62348/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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